kelp

Kelp, one of the seaweed plants, is a large marine brown algae plant that grows in low-temperature seawater. It belongs to the family Phaeophyceae and is a member of the Zosteraceae family. It is named because it grows in seawater and is flexible and ribbon-like. Kelp is a vegetable with high nutritional value and also has certain medicinal value. There are many ways to cook kelp, such as stewed pork ribs with kelp, roasted pork with kelp, shredded pork with kelp, kelp soup, and cold shredded kelp.

Nutritional value of kelp

Kelp is a vegetable with high nutritional value. Every 100 grams of dried kelp contains: 8.2 grams of crude protein, 0.1 grams of fat, 57 grams of sugar, 9.8 grams of crude fiber, 12.9 grams of inorganic salts, 2.25 grams of calcium, 0.15 grams of iron, 0.57 milligrams of carotene, 0.69 milligrams of thiamine (vitamin B1), 0.36 milligrams of riboflavin (vitamin B2), 16 milligrams of niacin, and can produce 262 kcal of calories. Compared with spinach and rapeseed, except for vitamin C, its crude protein, sugar, calcium and iron content are several times and dozens of times higher.

Kelp is a kind of seaweed with a high iodine content, generally containing 3-5‰ iodine, and up to 7-10‰. The iodine and alginic acid extracted from it are widely used in medicine, food and chemical industry. Iodine is one of the essential elements for the human body. Iodine deficiency can cause goiter. Eating more kelp can prevent and treat this disease, prevent arteriosclerosis, and reduce the accumulation of cholesterol and fat. Eating too much kelp can induce iodine hyperthyroidism. Although iodine can inhibit the release of thyroid hormone, it cannot inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormone. Therefore, long-term use of iodine is not good for hyperthyroidism.

Sodium alginate in kelp can prevent leukemia and osteomalacia; it also has a hemostatic effect on arterial bleeding, and oral administration can reduce the absorption of radioactive element strontium-90 in the intestine. Sodium alginate has a blood pressure lowering effect. Kelp starch has the effect of lowering blood lipids. In recent years, it has been found that an extract of kelp has anti-cancer effects. Kelp mannitol is effective in treating acute renal failure, cerebral edema, Japanese encephalitis, and acute glaucoma. People with spleen and stomach deficiency should eat less.

The efficacy and function of kelp

1. Prevent and treat goiter

Kelp contains iodine and iodide, which can prevent and treat iodine-deficiency goiter.

2. Lower blood pressure

Laminar acid, potassium salt and calcium can reduce the body's absorption of cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

3. Lipid reduction

Kelp contains a large amount of unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fiber, which can remove cholesterol attached to the blood vessel walls, regulate the stomach and intestines, and promote the excretion of cholesterol.

4. Inhibit tumors

The hot water extract has a significant cytotoxic effect on human KB cancer cells in vitro and a significant inhibitory effect on S180 tumors. Kelp is also rich in the anti-cancer star selenium, which has an anti-cancer effect.

5. Improve immunity

Kelp can improve the body's humoral immunity, promote the body's cellular immunity, and there are many other foods that can regulate immunity, and shiitake mushrooms are one of them.

6. Blood sugar reduction

Kelp contains 60% fucoidan, which is an excellent dietary fiber. When consumed by diabetic patients, it can delay gastric emptying and the time it takes for food to pass through the small intestine. In this way, even when insulin secretion is reduced, blood sugar levels will not rise, thus achieving the purpose of treating diabetes.

7. Diuretic and anti-edema

Kelp often has a layer of white powder like hoarfrost attached to it - mannitol, which is a valuable medicinal substance. Modern scientific research has shown that mannitol has the effects of lowering blood pressure, promoting diuresis and reducing swelling.

8. Prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Kelp contains a large amount of polyunsaturated fatty acid EPA, which can reduce blood viscosity and reduce vascular hardening. Therefore, eating kelp regularly can prevent cardiovascular diseases.

9. Eliminate breast hyperplasia

The large amount of iodine in kelp can stimulate the pituitary gland, reduce the estrogen level in women's bodies, restore the normal function of the ovaries, correct endocrine disorders, and eliminate the hidden dangers of breast hyperplasia.

10. Hair care

Seaweed is extremely rich in iodine, which is the main raw material for synthesizing thyroid hormone in the body. The luster of hair is formed by the action of thyroid hormone in the body.

11. Calcium supplement

Kelp is rich in calcium, which can prevent and treat calcium deficiency in the human body.

12. Beauty

Kelp juice can beautify and nourish the skin. Taking a bath in the soup made from kelp can moisturize the skin, making it refreshed, smooth, bright and beautiful.

13. Lose weight

Kelp contains a large amount of dietary fiber, which can increase the sense of fullness in obese people. Kelp also has a very low fat content and low calories, making it a good food for obese people to lose weight.

14. Delaying aging

Kelp is rich in calcium and iodine, which helps in the synthesis of thyroid hormone. The combination of these two foods can not only beautify the skin, but also delay aging.

15. Cancer Prevention

The sodium alginate contained in kelp has a strong binding ability with carcinogenic strontium and cadmium, and excretes them from the body; kelp can selectively kill or inhibit bacteria in the intestines that can produce carcinogens, and the fiber it contains can also promote the excretion of bile acid and cholesterol; kelp extract has a direct inhibitory effect on various cancer cells.

Medicinal value of kelp

【English name】Kelp

[Source] It is the thallus of Laminaria japonica. It is distributed or cultivated along the coast of Shandong, Liaoning, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong. It is harvested in summer and autumn and usually dried for later use.

[Nature and flavor and meridians] Nature and flavor: salty, cold.

① "Wu Pu's Materia Medica": "Sour and salty, cold, non-toxic."

② "New Compendium of Materia Medica": "It tastes bitter, is cold in nature, and is non-toxic."

Meridians: Enters the liver, stomach, and kidney meridians

① "Essential Medicinal Materials" says: "It enters the stomach meridian."

② "New Compendium of Materia Medica": "Enters the spleen meridian."

【application】

Used for goiter and scrofula. Use this product alone or in combination with kelp, wakame, etc. to enhance the function of eliminating phlegm and softening and dispersing lumps.

Used for hernia and testicular cysts. Can be used with seaweed and fennel.

Used for edema and athlete's foot. Can be used in combination with other diuretic drugs.

In addition, it is now used for hypertension, coronary heart disease, tumors, etc. Use this product alone or in combination with appropriate drugs.

【Usage】Decoction, cook, mix cold, soak in sugar, or make into pills or powder

[Functions and Indications] Eliminate phlegm and soften hard masses, relieve heat and promote diuresis, relieve cough and asthma, remove fat and lower blood pressure, disperse nodules and fight cancer. Used for goiter, scrofula, hernia, cough and asthma, edema, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and obesity.

Side effects and contraindications of kelp

1. Do not drink tea (tea contains tannic acid) or eat sour fruits (sour fruits contain plant acid) immediately after eating kelp. Because kelp is rich in iron, the above two foods will hinder the absorption of iron in the body.

2. Patients with hyperthyroidism should not eat kelp because the iodine content in kelp is high and will aggravate the condition.

3. Pregnant women and nursing mothers should not eat too much kelp, because the iodine in kelp can enter the fetus and baby through blood circulation and cause thyroid dysfunction.

How to make delicious kelp

Braised Chicken Fillet with Kelp

raw material:

Kelp, chicken breast, red pepper, green pepper, onion, ginger

seasoning:

Salt, MSG, salad oil, broth, starch

practice:

1. Soak the kelp in water, wash it, and cut it into strips. Remove the seeds from the red and green peppers, cut them into strips, and blanch them in boiling water.

2. Cut the chicken breast into strips, season with appropriate amount of salt, MSG and starch, blanch in oil, remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Put a little oil in the pot, add chopped scallion and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, add broth and all the ingredients and simmer for 3 minutes. After seasoning, thicken with starch and it is done.

Kelp aspic

Ingredients:

Soak the kelp until soft, wash and cut into strips; pork with skin equal amount

practice:

Soak the kelp until soft, wash it and cut it into shreds. Take an equal amount of pork with skin, wash it and cut it into small pieces. Put it in a pot with appropriate amount of water. Add cinnamon, fennel and other condiments. Simmer it over low heat until it becomes a paste. Add salt, pour it into square gold and let it cool into jelly.

How to eat:

Cut into strips and serve with rice

Efficacy: Kelp contains seaweed polysaccharides, which have strong anti-tumor function, and the sulfonyl group can kill cancer cells. This product is suitable for patients with endocrine system tumors (such as thyroid, breast, prostate, etc.).

Seaweed and kelp soup

raw material:

10 grams of seaweed, 20 grams of kelp, 30 grams of winter melon peel, 50 grams of watermelon peel, and a little salt.

Preparation method:

Put seaweed, kelp, winter melon peel and watermelon peel in a pot, add appropriate amount of water, and serve in a bowl or soup basin.

Features:

It is light and has a seafood flavor. You can drink the soup and eat kelp and seaweed. It is best to eat it after lunch.

effect:

Laver contains protein, fat, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, iodine, manganese, amino acids, phycoerythrin, phospholipids, niacin, organic acids, volatile oils, vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, etc. It tastes sweet, salty, and cold in nature. It has the effects of softening and resolving phlegm, clearing away heat and promoting diuresis. It is mainly used to treat goiter, scrofula, edema, obesity, etc.

Braised radish and kelp

raw material:

Appropriate amounts of kelp and radish, cloves, anise, cinnamon, pepper, walnut kernels, vegetable oil, and soy sauce.

practice:

Soak the kelp in water for 24 hours (change the water twice in between), then wash and cut into shreds. Cut the radish into thick shreds. Heat the oil, add the kelp shreds and stir-fry for a few times, add cloves, aniseed, cinnamon, pepper, walnut kernels, soy sauce and water and bring to a boil, then simmer over medium heat until the kelp is almost cooked, then add the radish shreds and simmer until cooked.

Effect: diuretic, anti-gas, and weight loss.